(NewsNation) — The health of one of the West Virginia National Guard members who was shot last week near the White House, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, is improving, according to West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.
On Monday, Morrisey announced that while Wolfe, 24, was still in “serious condition,” he responded to nurses with a thumbs-up when they asked if he could hear them and “wiggled his toes,” as reported by NewsNation affiliate The Hill.
“So we take that as a positive sign,” the governor said, adding, “I’m not here to speculate.”
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was the other West Virginia National Guard Member shot in the Nov. 26 ambush-style attack. She died on Thanksgiving Day from her injuries.
“She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down on us right now. Her parents are with her. This just happened,” Trump announced Thursday.
Wolfe is ‘fighting very hard’: Trump
During a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that Wolfe is still “fighting for his life.”
“He’s fighting very hard,” Trump said. “It would be amazing if he lives; it would be amazing, a miracle actually, but we’re very proud of those two people.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she visited Wolfe in the hospital on Monday and noted: “He’s got a long road ahead of him, but he is a miracle.”
Rahmanullah Lakanwal pleads not guilty
The suspect in the shooting, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has been charged with first-degree murder, three counts of possessing a firearm during a violent crime and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Lakanwal, who was also shot, made his first appearance in front of a judge via video from a hospital bed on Tuesday. His attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Lakanwal was in the U.S. under a Biden-era program that helped evacuate and resettle Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal, many of them people who had assisted U.S. troops. He was then granted asylum under the Trump administration.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Trump administration has announced several policies meant to make it harder for some internationals to enter or stay in the U.S.
NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside and The Associated Press contributed to this report.